Flexi loans – they’re a dangerous thing. Banks can’t wait to give them to you all wrapped up in glossy paperwork and touted as the best thing ever. And yes, they are the best thing; the best thing for the bank, not you … unless you’re one of the chosen few with inordinate amounts of willpower and discipline (a financially savvy superstar).

When you’re heading off to live overseas the last thing you want to think about is your New Zealand tax return. That’s all fine and dandy so long as you never plan on returning to the land of rugby, pies and beer.

At the very least, you’ll generally need to file non-resident tax returns in New Zealand while you’re overseas. They might not include very much (perhaps a little bit of interest from your NZ bank accounts) but you still need to file a return to keep things sweet with the Inland Revenue Department.

At worst, you’ll continue filing normal tax returns which include every bit of your income from absolutely everywhere – it’s called your worldwide income.